Man, children injured in fire after gasoline transfer occurs

A man pouring gasoline from one container to another is suspected of causing a fire Sunday night that sent three people to the hospital and forced the partial evacuation of an apartment complex near Nellis Air Force Base.

When Clark County firefighters arrived on the scene about 9:20 p.m., they found flames coming from a second floor unit at the Eagle Trace Apartments, 5370 E. Craig Road.

The fire was contained to the apartment where it started, though surrounding units may have suffered smoke and water damage, said Scott Allison, spokesman for the Clark County Fire Department.

The blaze remained under investigation Monday, but Allison said a man in the apartment told firefighters that he had been transferring gasoline from one container to another when the flames erupted.

The man was taken to the burn unit at University Medical Center with "severe second-degree burns" covering about 25 percent of his arms and legs," Allison said.

The man's two children also were taken to UMC at the request of their mother to be treated for shortness of breath, but Allison said they did not appear to be suffering the effects of smoke inhalation.

The building where the fire occurred had to be evacuated. The Red Cross was called in to assist those displaced by the blaze, Allison said.